Coincidences
by Chaser14
Summary: A woman is found dead in a coffee shop, and nothing's adding up. But when CSI Ryan Wolfe realizes that the victim is an old high school friend, the stakes change. While Ryan sits in a holding cell, the team races to find a killer. Complete!
1. Finding the Body

This is a CSI: Miami fic both about Ryan's childhood and a murder. I'm going to be doing the old crime scene investigation story, but interweaving it with flashbacks of Ryan's childhood. I will be leaving clues that will ultimately lead up to the killer, so if you want to try to figure it out on the way, you can submit a review and tell me who you think it is! Of course, at this point there aren't any real clues to who it is, but in later chapters there will be.

So without further ado...

COINCIDENCES – Chapter One

Ryan Wolfe walked into the Miami Dade Police Department with his eyes half opened. He yawned, but quickly stifled it with his hand. He nodded to the receptionist at the front desk, as he always did. As he entered the lab, he was greeted by his cheery colleague.

"Good morning," Calleigh Duquesne said with a smile that verged on being a smirk.

"Ya, maybe for you." Ryan moaned. "Why did we have to come in so early today? I didn't even have time to get my coffee."

"I don't know, I just got here. Horatio said to meet in the conference room though." The two walked down the hall to the room where Eric Delko, Natalia Boa Vista, and Horatio Caine were waiting.

"Nice of you to join us," Eric teased. Ryan could only roll his eyes. Eric was a morning person and Ryan—well Ryan just wasn't.

Horatio got right down to business. "We have a murder, 27 year old female, found in the backroom of Crosby's Coffee Shop on Plain Street. The manager called it in this morning."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Crosby's? That's where I usually get my coffee in the morning. Didn't have time today, though. Talk about coincidence."

Horatio glanced Ryan's way, and then continued. "Wolfe and Delko will process the scene; Calleigh, you and Natalia will stay here and review her file." Everyone nodded and set off for their dictated spots.

Eric and Ryan headed out the front steps towards the department's hummers. Ryan breathed in the Miami air and sighed—another day, another case. Not that he ever got tired of it, he loved his job.

Eric jumped into the driver's seat and started the ignition. Ryan got into the passenger seat, shaking his head. Eric never let him drive; he gave up asking years ago. They zoomed along the interstate, enjoying the usual sun-soaked Miami and its occupants. Before they knew it they were on Plain Street, parking in front of the modern looking coffee shop.

"So, you come here often, Wolfe?" Eric asked.

"Ya, every morning."

"So you know the folks here?"

"By name; it's not like I'm friends with any of them. We just make small talk in the morning." Eric gave him a look of disapproval which made Ryan scowl. _Why did Eric disapprove of everything he did?_

The two entered the building, which was now taped off, and went straight for the back. Before they could reach it, however, they heard a commotion behind them. "Excuse me!" A blustering man who looked to be in his mid-fifties came zooming under the crime scene tape up to them. His large belly and balding head along with cheeks that were rosy red gave him the distinct look of a clean-shaven Santa Claus.

"Sir, you're going to have to step behind the tape," Eric said with authority.

"But I own this place!" Eric looked as if he were about to reprimand him again, but Ryan jumped in.

"What's your name?"

"Leonard O'Mally."

"And you called in the murder, right?"

Leonard nodded. "Well, I did call it in, but I wasn't the one who discovered her."

"What?" Eric spat. He had little patience for people like this.

"I was a block away when my assistant manager, Shawn Belby called me and told me he had found a body in the back room. I told him to call it in but he said he was scared. So I came down, saw it, and called it in."

"Really?" Ryan said with interest. "Where is this Shawn now?"

Leonard pointed to a young man outside the crime scene tape. He seemed to be answering questions for the patrol officers. "I know it seems a little fishy, but Shawn's not the brightest kid. Besides, he got into some trouble with the law back in Boston, I figured that's why he didn't want to call it in."

"Right," said Eric, "We're gonna need you to stay right over there." Leonard nodded and went to wait outside the crime scene tape. "C'mon Wolfe, let's…" Eric looked at Ryan with raised eyebrows. Ryan was staring at the young kid called Shawn with a strange look on his face. "Wolfe? You okay?"

Ryan shook his head. "I know him."

Eric was perplexed. "The owner?"

"No. Shawn." Eric turned to look at the assistant manager with him.

"His name's Shawn Belby and he's a creep if you've ever met one. I spent four miserable years around him."

"You went to high school with that guy?"

"Unfortunately."

"Talk about coincidence—or maybe not. Maybe you shouldn't be on this case, Wolfe."

Ryan scoffed. "I might not have liked him, but I barely knew him and talked to him only once. Give me a break, Delko. No one's gonna care if I'm on this case." Eric sincerely hoped this was not just Ryan's naivety showing.

"Whatever. We'll talk to him later. Let's go see crime scene." The two boys wandered behind the bar and opened the door into a dark room. The only light was filtering through a small window near the ceiling of the building. The whole room was not large, and was made smaller by four rows of shelves filled with boxes. These weren't what grabbed the CSI's attention, though. Right in front of the shelved, a woman was lying face down, clearly dead.

Eric headed towards the body but stopped when he realized that Ryan was not coming. Ryan was staring at the girl as if he had never seen a dead body before. "Wolfe?" Eric asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

FLASHBACK

_Ryan Wolfe sat on the front wall of his yard, watching the movers unload the truck. His small legs dangled over the edge of the stone. A woman in her thirties appeared at the front door. She gazed at Ryan a moment, then walked over to him. "They have a daughter about your age. Maybe you could go and introduce yourself." She looked hopeful._

"_I guess. But what if I don't like her?"_

"_I'm sure you will. There in the back yard now. Go on." He got up somewhat reluctantly and ambled towards his neighbor's back yard. Ryan had lived on a slow street in the quiet Boston suburb for all six years of his life, and had no friends at all. He was not sure he liked the idea of a girl living so close to him._

_The family was admiring the house from the back. There was a man who reminded him of his own father, tall and dark-haired, and a woman with blonde hair twisted up into a bun. But Ryan was more fascinated with the young girl standing next to them. She was about the same height as him, skinny, with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail._

_She noticed him the second he entered the back yard, and went bounding towards him. "Are you the neighbor? You must be, my parents said you were an only child. I'm Madison. We're gonna live next door to you. I think we'll be very good friends."_

_Ryan was certainly taken aback by her vivaciousness. But her friendly smile and sparkling brown eyes were kind and sincere. "I'm Ryan Wolfe," He finally managed._

_She smiled. "Want to go explore? I don't know the area at all." She spun around and looked at the woods with obvious excitement._

"_Well my mom doesn't really like me to go into the woods…"_

"_Don't be silly! We won't go far. I just want to see what's in there." And with that, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the woods. He didn't put up a fight. She was strange, to be sure…but he liked her._

FLASHFORWARD

Eric waved his hand in front of Ryan's face. "Wolfe? What's going on?"

Ryan swallowed. His voice was hoarse. "Eric….I can't be on this case."


	2. Ryan's Off the Case

Sorry for the wait guys! It's a lot harder to write a mystery than I thought. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Reviews are GREATLY appreciated!

Coincidences – Part Two

Alexx Woods looked down at the body of the beautiful young girl with the same sad look she often had. "Poor baby," she murmured.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of Calleigh Duquesne. "Hey," Calleigh drawled. She stepped around the autopsy table so she was facing Alexx. She looked down at the body with heaviness. "She's a pretty girl."

"Poor Ryan," Alexx said with a shake of her head. "What are the chances that his best friend shows up dead in Miami?"

"Something tells me it may not be coincidence," Calleigh remarked. "Oddly enough, this does come with an advantage. Ryan's been able to provide us with plenty of information about her."

Alexx was still shaken. "Have you seen Ryan? He must be taking this pretty hard."

"I haven't seen him, but Eric said he's not in good shape. I wouldn't be either. I guess they were pretty close growing up."

Alexx put her hand on the head of the girl, stroking her cold face. "What's her story, Calleigh?"

Calleigh opened a file. "Her name is Madison Beller. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Boston University and had a job as an investigative journalist with the Boston Globe. Unmarried, no children."

Alexx raised her eyebrows. "That's quite a prestigious position for someone so young. Also a dangerous one. Maybe she had the scoop on someone that they didn't like?"

"That's what I was thinking. We haven't interviewed anyone yet though. What do you have for me?"

Alexx got right down to business. "I only have preliminary. I haven't done the autopsy yet. I did notice a few things though." She lifted the girl's arm. "We've got scratches here—most likely defensive. Also, there are bruises on her chest. Their fist shaped, so we can assume that baby girl was beaten by someone."

"Do we have cause of death?"

"As a matter of fact, we do. See here," She pointed to the girl's neck where there was bruising, "These are ligature marks. She was strangled."

Calleigh looked surprised. "That's odd. We didn't find anything at the scene that could have been used for strangulation."

Alexx gave a small smile. "Now baby, that's your department, not mine."

* * *

Horatio Caine cocked his head as he surveyed his youngest CSI. He cared for everyone on his team, but he was especially fond of Ryan Wolfe. Some people went as far to say that he had a "soft spot" for the young man. Horatio let out a small smile. Many times Ryan reminded him of himself in his younger years. Such as now, he thought.

Ryan Wolfe was leaning against a wall in the lab, his face that of total devastation—though he was obviously trying to hide it. He seemed oblivious to the older man's watchful eye. Horatio approached Ryan slowly, as if trying to sense his thoughts.

"Mr. Wolfe…"

Ryan gazed at his boss with a forced strength that Horatio admired. "Don't worry about it H," He said. "I know you have to pull me. I'm a suspect too, right?"

Horatio smiled to the floor. "Only for the time being, Mr. Wolfe."

Ryan nodded and pulled his gun and badge out of his belt. "Here—I'll go wait in the questioning room." He started to walk off, and then turned back to Horatio. "Madison was the closest friend I ever had. You can't let the person who did this to her roam free."

Horatio looked at Ryan with a silent dignity. "Mr. Wolfe—not a chance." He put on his sunglasses. "Not a chance."

* * *

Eric met Calleigh in the hall. "What did Alexx find?"

"She said the vic had defensive marks and bruises." She handed Eric an evidence bag. "The vic's clothes. She wants you to process them."

"Can do. Do we have a cause of death?"

"Strangulation."

Eric reacted to the news much the way Calleigh had. "Strangulation? We're missing a murder weapon then."

Calleigh nodded. "You know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"I think it's time to talk to our coffee shop owner."

* * *

Ryan Wolfe was sitting in the questioning room with his head in his hands. _How could Madison be dead?_ He thought. So many things were swimming through his mind that his head hurt. He knew life was about to get very complicated for him.

He tried to push away memories of the girl who had been such a big part of his life. It was impossible though. Even though they had not talked since high school, he thought about her often. She had been his first friend, his first crush, his first---NO! He told himself. Don't go there. Let the past be the past. But even as he thought it he realized how futile that statement was. He felt himself slipping into old memories….

FLASHBACK

_Thirteen-year-old Ryan Wolfe sat in the front row, his foot tapping along to the music. She's good, thought. He watches as Madison Beller, along with three other girls, danced and sang on stage. It surprised him a little that he had never actually seen Madison sing or dance before. She had only recently started this hobby, and had forbidden him to watch her until her big day at the junior high talent show._

_Now he was rather glad he had waited. He did not want to be alone with her when she was dancing like that…it was having a strange effect on him. He felt suddenly very hot and had swooping sensation in his stomach. He tried to shake it off, but it only grew stronger as he watched her. She was a very beautiful girl—her hair was always shining, and her face was practically glowing on stage. He had never really noticed the way her hips created an hour glass figure, or the way her body moved when she jumped…._

_Before he knew it the performance had ended and she was jumping his way. "How was I?" she asked, beaming._

_His throat seemed to have closed up. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse. "You were really good."_

_She scowled. It was not the praise she was looking for. Ryan finally regained his composure. "You were great! __Absolutely terrific."_

_She glowed. "Thanks! I—__" But__ her next words were cut off. Her father was hollering at her from the entrance to the school. She grimaced. "I've got to go. See you later?"_

_He nodded and guiltily watched her walk away._

_Several moments later he walked out of the school, intending to walk home. What he saw made his jaw drop. Madison was in tears on the ground. Her father stood over her, his face full of anger. "Don't let me ever catch you doing something like this again!" He growled. She only sobbed harder._

_Ryan hid behind a pillar, but his blood was boiling. How could she have not told him?_

_FLASHFORWARD_

"Mr. Wolfe? I need to ask you a few questions."


	3. Other Obligations

Here it is! Part 3! I hope you guys enjoy this. I'm not sure when the next time I will post will be because I'm going on some vacations. I'll try to post at least one more part before I go, though. Also, I'm upping the rating, not really for this chapter, but for the next two. I have a few mentions of adult themes in this chapter, but nothing graphic. It will be a little more explicit next chapter. So, just a heads up.

Enjoy!

Coincidences – Part Three

Ryan Wolfe had his head on buried in his hand. He sighed, and then scowled as he looked up. "I've answered the same questions again and again. C'mon, Tripp, you can't possible think I did this."

The Texan man looked sadly down at his colleague. "Look, I just gotta get the facts, okay?" As he said this a man in a dark suit entered and handed him a folder. The man left as Frank Tripp examined the contents. He then looked up at Ryan. "I gotta tell you son, this ain't looking so good for you."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Tripp sat down across the interrogation table at Ryan. "You sent Madison Beller a text message last night?"

Ryan face was impassive. He was silent for a long moment. "Ya…we were thinking of meeting up."

"Did you?"

More silence. "No. I had….other obligations." Ryan squirmed a little in his chair. Tripp noticed.

"Care to elaborate?" Tripp leaned forward, suggesting that Ryan better start talking.

Ryan looked away from Tripp. He seemed to be struggling with his thoughts. He played with the button on his jacket for a minute, trying to buy time.

Tripp decided to help the young man a bit. "We'll get back to that. For now, why don't you tell me what you know about Madison Beller."

Ryan was visibly relieved. He even let a small smile appear. "I know a lot. What do you want to know?"

"She have any big enemies?"

"Well….her father." Ryan said slowly.

"Excuse me?"

"Her father….was an angry man. He took that out on Madison sometimes."

Tripp seemed surprised. "He beat her?"

"Well, not exactly. He wasn't brutal. He more just roughed her up sometimes. He pushed her around. Only on very rare occasions, usually when he was drunk, did he punch and kick her."

Tripp got suspicious. "And you, the concerned friend, never said anything?"

Ryan tried to his hide his guilt, but failed. "I was young. She begged me not to. And you know, for a while, she seemed to be doing alright."

"For a while?" Tripp questioned.

Ryan just stared at him. The memories were flooding back….

FLASHBACK

_Fifteen-year-old Ryan Wolfe shut his locker and turned to his friend. "Where have you been?" His voice was not gentle._

_Madison Beller leaned against the lockers. She had rings under her eyes, and Ryan noticed that she was lacking the makeup she usually wore. "I got up late. I had a headache."_

_Ryan wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Then why not just stay home. Why did you come to school late? It's lunch already!"_

_She seemed to squirm under his demanding stare. "I took some Advil. It cleared up."_

_Ryan looked away. He couldn't believe it. "You didn't have a headache." He turned back to her and leaned forward so that others wouldn't hear. "You had a hangover didn't you?" One look said it all. He sighed. "C'mon Madison—I thought we said we weren't going to be like those kids. I know you're better than that." She looked up at him with guilt in her eyes but said nothing. "I don't care if you want to get trashed once in awhile, but on a school night? At Peter Burchly's party? That kid's trouble and you know it."_

_Madison's guilty face turned into one of anger. "You knew?"_

_"The whole school knows! Everyone's talking about 'that freshman girl who was dancing on top of the tables.'"_

_She only looked angrier. "Well excuse me! You know what? Things are hard! Sometimes I just need an outlet." She involuntarily touched her bruised arm which she was hiding underneath a sweater._

_The emotion on Ryan's face changed in an instant. "I'm sorry. I know it's hard with your dad. Look…maybe you should talk to someone."_

_"Ugh." She grabbed her bag off the floor and started to walk away down the hall. Ryan followed her. "We've been over this before, Ryan. I'm fine. Sure, it sucks sometimes, but it's okay. Lots of people have crappy fathers."_

_Ryan wasn't going to be persuaded. "That doesn't make it—" But the words never left his mouth because he had just run into Madison who had stopped abruptly. She was looking with disgust at a boy peering around the hallway corner at her._

_"Were you watching us?" She snapped. _

_The boy was small with greasy uncombed black hair and beady eyes. He twitched nervously before shaking his head. "I was just staring down the hall." His eyes drifted lower._

_Madison made a noise in her throat like an angry cat. "Just stay away from me okay?" She pushed past him with Ryan in her wake. "Who is that kid?" she asked him once they were out of earshot._

_Ryan had been equally as disgusted with the boy, though for different reasons. "He's in my English class. I think his name's Shawn. I'd stay away from him if I were you."_

"_You don't need to tell me to do that."_

_Ryan grabbed her arm before she could keep walking. "But apparently I do have to tell you to be careful. I don't want to see you hurt yourself."_

_She pulled out of his grip. "Don't worry, I'm a good girl." She finally let out a grin and danced into her classroom just as the end-of-lunch bell rang._

_Ryan watched her with worried eyes. It disturbed him how ridiculous that statement seemed._

FLASHFORWARD

"All her stuff's here." Eric said to Calleigh via cell phone. He continued to poke around the hotel room where Madison had been staying. "The clerk said she hadn't checked out yet, and no one remembers seeing her leave last night."

Calleigh's voice was surprisingly clear on the cell phone. "So how did she end up in the coffee shop?"

"We didn't find a murder weapon there. Maybe her body was transported there."

"But why put her body in such an obvious spot?" Calleigh questioned.

"I don't know. Her purse's is here though. Would she have left without it?"

"I don't know," Calleigh said. "Some women do, some women don't."

"I'll keep looking then. Did you talk to Leonard O'Mally, our coffee shop owner?"

"I sure did. He claims he doesn't know her and hasn't ever seen her. He's got a clean record too."

"I guess that rules him out as a suspect." Eric sighed.

"For now." Calleigh replied. "I don't know there's something more to that guy we don't know about yet. I wouldn't completely cut him out of the books." There was a moment of silence.

Then Eric spoke. "Hey, Calleigh, I think I got something. Didn't you say the victim was a journalist?" Calleigh responded in the affirmative. "Well I got a notebook here, and some papers. It might be what she was working on. Could bring up some suspects."

"Okay, get it back to the lab."

"Will do."

Eric clicked the end button and put the evidence away in evidence bags. As he cleared out of the crime scene and was headed down the hall, he was stopped by a voice. "Excuse me?"

A young man, probably in his twenties, sporting trendy shorts and an open t-shirt was hurrying towards Eric. "Are you a police officer?" The man asked.

"Ya," Eric answered. "What do you need?"

"You're investigating that girl's murder right?"

Eric was interested. "Why, do you know something?"

"I didn't know her, but I saw her around. She's right down the hall from me. I thought you should know, I saw this guy watching her a couple of times. He seemed pretty creepy. It looked like he was stalking her. I mean—he was trying not to let her see him."

"What's your name?"

"Brian Dugas."

"Well, Brian, would you mind coming to the station and making a statement?"

Brian shrugged. "I guess not."

Calleigh hurried towards the medical room. _This case is a busy one,_ she thought. She saw Alexx just covering up Madison Beller's body. "What do you have Alexx?"

"Oh sweetie. You're not gonna believe this. I finished the autopsy, and I did a rape kit. While I found that there was no intercourse, forced or otherwise, I did find something."

"What?" Calleigh asked.

Alexx face was sad. "I found signs of self-mutilation."

Calleigh was surprised. "Like cuts?"

"Afraid not, baby. The injuries I found are common with self-done abortion."

Calleigh didn't know what to say.


	4. A Little Bit of Truth

Oh my goodness! How long it's been. I've been having some serious computer issues (I had to send it in the shop and get it fixed), so needless to say I haven't been writing. But I haven't abandoned this story! I've finally written part four of five and I'm going to try and get up part five soon.

I wrote the first bit like weeks ago, then I just skimmed over it today, so there might be some inconsistencies. Just let me know. And of course, R&R please!

P.S.: I'm so sorry if you've gotten like fifteen "new chapter" emails. I've been having some major problems uploading correctly so I've had to do it a few times. Hopefully this is the last time I will have to.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Horatio smiled a cunning little smile at the floor, then looked at the man sitting across from him. Shawn Belby, seated in the interrogation room, was young and would have been handsome had he not had rings under his eyes and grease in his black hair.

Shawn fidgeted uncomfortably. He looked everywhere but at Horatio. He certainly seemed to be nervous.

"Mr. Belby," Horatio said slowly, "Where were you last night?"

"Playing cards with my buddies. Ask any of them." Shawn finally looked at the police officer in front of him, his eyes round and guilty.

"Really?" Horatio said. "Because that's not what the evidence tells us." He opened a file folder and pulled out a sheet with a magnified finger print on it. "You see, Shawn, we found your fingerprint on the metal clasp on Madison Beller's bra. In our world, that spells guilty."

Shawn's eyes opened wide as he stared at the fingerprint. All at once he started stuttering. "No…it's n-n-not like you think."

"Why don't you explain it to me?"

Shawn was silent. He looked up at Horatio pleadingly, but said nothing.

"Mr. Belby, you are already looking at jail-time for degradation of a corpse. Do you want to add a count of murder to that?"

Shawn swallowed. "I went to the shop this morning, around five. I went into the backroom and she was just lying there. My Madison…dead."

Horatio looked disgusted and intrigued. "Your Madison?"

"Ya. Me and Maddy went to high school together. She…ah…she never paid me much mind. But I knew someday she would. Someday she was gonna love me like I loved her."

Horatio was silent. He was beginning to understand what kind of man he was dealing with. Finally he looked up. "So then what happened?"

"I…I just wanted to look at her. See her for once. She never let me near her in high school…but I didn't kill her!" Shawn said. His eyes were desperate. "She was already cold when I found her."

Horatio just looked at him. "We'll see."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Eric was sitting in one of the labs, sifting through Madison's notes. Calleigh entered and stood over Eric.

"You paged me?"

"Ya, you're not gonna believe this." Eric pulled one of the sheets out from the pile and showed it to Calleigh.

She seemed puzzled. "Are these about Leonard O'Mally?"

"You bet. According to her notes, O'Mally has been pocketing the stores money, and altering the balance books to hide it."

"If it's true that would be a pretty big deal. Crosby's is a big chain isn't it?"

"Ya, it's a national coffee shop. I did a little research too, and it turns out that one of its biggest income centers is Miami."

"So Madison gets the scoop on him, he finds out, then murders her to cover it up?"

"That's what it looks like."

Calleigh smiled. "I call patrol and have them bring him in."

"I'll tell 'H'." Eric said.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Horatio was hurrying towards the autopsy room. He knew that Leonard O'Mally would be ready for interrogation soon and he had some suspicions to clear up. Alexx was just covering up the body as he entered.

"What do you have for me, Alexx?"

"Well, the cause of death is definitely strangulation. I can't tell exactly what caused it, but by the ligature marks I would guess something soft, maybe a rope of some kind. Also, I found epithelials under her nails." Alexx handed Horatio the evidence. "Judging by the liver temp, I'd put her time of death from 11:30 to 12:00 p.m."

Horatio stared at Madison's cold body for a moment, lost in thought. "Alexx, did you say that she had bruising on her chest?"

"Yep," Alexx said, "here and here." She indicated the spots.

Horatio cocked his head to the side, a distant look in his eyes. "Thank you, Alexx." He then turned and left.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Horatio stared at the pudgy Leonard O'Mally. The man overflowed out of the interrogation chair he was sitting in, and was visibly uncomfortable.

Horatio finally began. "Mr. O'Mally, you lied to me."

"I..I don't know what you're talking about."

Horatio smiled, but it was not a kind smile. "You told me that you did not know who Madison Beller was, that you had never met her before. But that's not true, is it? She found out about the money you were stealing and she was going to expose you. Right?"

Leonard stared up at Horatio, shocked, his mouth slightly open. When he finally came out of his daze, his voice was rough with anger. "Wrong. I am a fair business man, Lieutenant, and I never touched that girl!"

"You see Leonard," Horatio said, opening a file, "We know that's not true because we found your skin under her finger nails, which means that you fought with her."

Now Leonard was really shocked. "No! N..no. I didn't kill her."

"Why don't you tell me what happened then?"

All was silent for a moment. Leonard seemed to be struggling with his thoughts. He spoke in a much quieter tone, one of surrender. "She kept calling me, asking me about the business. She said she was writing a piece on Crosby's and she heard what a big money maker the one in Miami was. I didn't think a thing of it. Then one day she called and accused me of cheating the company and of stealing its money. I hung up on her. Then yesterday, she confronted me at the store. She said she was going to put a piece about it in the Boston Globe, and that I would be ruined."

"I tried everything. I bribed her, threatened her. She wouldn't back down. I..I got angry…and I hit her. She said she was going to the police and took off. I swear that was the last I saw of her!"

Horatio looked down with disbelieving eyes. "What time yesterday was this?"

"It was right after closing. Around 10:45 p.m."

"That's all for now, Mr. O'Mally. But I'm going to put you in holding cell for the time being."

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Horatio joined Calleigh, Eric, and Tripp outside the interrogation room. "What did we get from O'Mally?" Eric asked.

Horatio stared at the floor still thinking. "He claims that he assaulted Madison around 10:45 last night and that she then left to alert the police. Alexx says that her time of death was around 11:30 last night.

"Which leaves plenty of time for him to follow her to the hotel and kill her, right?" Tripp questioned.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Eric said. "Why kill her at the hotel and bring her back to the shop?"

"You're forgetting," Horatio said looking up, "That we don't actually know where she was murdered."

"I might be able to help with that," Calleigh said with a smile. She held up a sheet of paper. "I processed the vic's clothes. I found lint and detergent on her shirt and pants."

"You're thinking she was killed at a laundry mat?" Eric asked.

"No, I think she was killed in the laundry room at the hotel."

Eric smiled. "I'll get the kits." He turned and left.

Horatio turned to Tripp. "Do you still have Mr. Wolfe in a holding cell?"

"You know I can't let him go while he's still a suspect."

"We have no evidence to suggest he killed Madison Beller."

"Except a text message near the time of her death, and no alibi." There was silence. "Horatio, you know I'd love to let him go, but I just can't."

Horatio nodded sadly. "I understand but as soon as you're—"

"Are you in charge here?" A bustling woman materialized in front of the Tripp and stared demandingly into his face.

"Actually that would be me," Horatio answered. The woman turned to face him. She was tall, made even taller by the four inch stilettos she was wearing. Her dark hair was curled elegantly into little ringlets and complimented by lavish earrings. She was dressed in an expensive looking black dress and had a string of pearls around her neck and wrists. Her left ring finger bore an extremely large diamond ring and wedding band.

"My name's Charlene O'Mally. I was told that my husband has been incarcerated."

"That's correct, mam. He is currently a suspect in a murder investigation."

She seemed completely taken aback. "My husband is not a murderer," She said angrily, "and you must release him at once. He has a store to manage you know." She said the last words with an air of pride.

"I'm afraid I can't do that mam—not until we've cleared his name."

Mrs. O'Mally turned beat red. "This is completely unacceptable behavior- putting an innocent man in a jail cell. Your department will be hearing from me again, officer." She then stormed off, her heels clicking loudly on the tile floor.

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Ryan preferred to sit on the floor of his holding cell, with his back to the bench that was supposed to be for sitting. He had never known what it was like to be on this side of the fence before. He was struck by just what sitting alone with your thoughts could do to a person.

He had been trying desperately to remember the happy times with Madison, all the laughs they had and the trouble they go into. But one memory kept coming to the surface—a memory he kept pushing to the back of his mind.

_It's no use_, he thought. His mind was exhausted with trying to repel all the unpleasant memories. _Not that __**that**__ memory had been unpleasant_, Ryan thought. His stomach sank. But it was unpleasant, at the same time. _How is it that my fondest memory is also my worst memory?_ Ryan thought. And, too tired to suppress it any longer, he let the memory float before his eyes.

FLASHBACK

Did the Cold War start in 1945 or 1946?_ Ryan Wolfe thought, pausing with his pen an inch above his notes for his Junior Paper. _Let's see, World War II ended in…

_His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his window. Ryan didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Madison was the only person who ever climbed the trestle outside and into his attic-bedroom window._

_He opened the window and the sixteen-year-old Madison Beller tumbled into the room. Ryan knew at once that something was wrong. Madison never tumbled threw the window. And what was that smell?_

_She stood up and faced Ryan. "Hey," she said. Her voice sounded strange._

_"Are you okay?" Ryan asked._

_She giggled. "I'm fine."_

_Ryan stared for a second. That smell…."Are you drunk?" Ryan asked her._

_She put on a mock offensive face. "I am not drunk. I may have had a few shots, but I am definitely most certainly NOT drunk." She giggled again and plopped down on Ryan's bed._

_"Where the hell did you have shots?" Ryan asked angrily._

_"I went to Greg Dorey's party. It was crazy." She smiled up at him._

_"You went to Greg's kegger?" Ryan sputtered. "We've got mid-terms on Monday!"_

_Madison stood up and got quite close to Ryan. "Hey, I don't need your molly-coddling, Wolfe! I know why you're really angry, and it's got nothing to do with the shots I took."_

_Ryan was truly confused. He had no idea what she was talking about. "What?"_

_Madison moved so close to Ryan now that their noses were almost touching. "You're jealous. You're jealous I was with hanging with Greg tonight and not with you."_

_"Madison…that's ridiculous." Ryan meant it too. He got jealous of Madison's love interest sometimes, but even she wouldn't get tangled up with Greg Dorey. _

_"It's okay, Ryan." Madison said in a much softer tone that worried Ryan a great deal. "I know how you feel. I feel it too. I know we've been friends all these years but I've always wondered what it would feel like…" she stopped talking and for a moment she seemed almost embarrassed. But the alcohol kicked right back in. She peered into his eyes then kissed him full on the lips._

_Ryan was a hurricane of so many emotions he didn't know what to do. This was the moment he had waited for for so long. _But she's drunk_, he thought. No_, even she said she was only tipsy._ He pulled away from her. "You're drunk," he said in a strangled tone._

_She frowned. "I'm only a little tipsy and I know exactly what I'm doing Ryan so are we gonna do this or not?"_

_Ryan just stared for a moment. She was so beautiful, and he'd always hoped that she would be his first…._

_He leaned forward and kissed her with no reserve. She didn't hesitate to follow suit._

_**The Next Day**_

_Ryan woke but did not sit up. He opened his eyes but stared only at the ceiling. He let the memories of the night before float down on him and wrap him up in a warm happy feeling. But it lasted only a few seconds, before the coldness set in. The room was much too quite. The bed was far too light. Although he didn't need to do it to know, he sat up and looked for Madison. But there was no one there but himself._


	5. Closing the Book

Okay, so truthfully I wasn't going to finish this fic. Only a few people reviewed and I take that as a sign that no one's really interested anymore. But then I remember one fan who really liked my story and wanted me to continue. So in the spirit of Christmas, I give you the final chapter of Coincidences.

P.S. Ya, I stole a line from the Miami episode "Shootout" because it was such a nice Horatio and Ryan scene (and I mean that in a completely non-slash way.)

Eric and Calleigh entered the laundry room of the hotel and clicked on their flashlights. The room was barely lit. Its walls were dingy and the whole room smelled of detergent.

Eric started slowly around the edge of the room, shining his light on the shelves that lined the walls. Calleigh went straight towards the washing machines, opening her kit as she did so.

"I've got a hair." She lifted it and put it into a vile which she plugged. She then examined it. "Long, probably female, dark brown."

"Wasn't our vic's hair light brown?" Eric asked.

"Ya, I'm thinking this is someone else."

"Lots of people come into the mat, though." Eric argued.

Calleigh shrugged. "True, but who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."

The two continued the search of the room. Calleigh sifted through bins of dirty towels and Eric pushed things around on the shelves, looking for anything suspicious.

"Calleigh!" He called after a while. She turned to see him holding a long white rope. The middle of it had a tiny bit of blood on it. "I think we've got our murder weapon." Eric said.

"Let's get back to the lab then."

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Valera calmy waited for the DNA results while Natalia drummed her fingers on the table. "You know I can't make the machine go any faster," Valera said good-naturedly.

"Sorry," Natalia said, shoving her hands into her pockets.

As if on cue, a sheet of paper buzzed out of the DNA analysis machine. Valera picked it up. "It's XX—female. But not in the system." She handed Natalia the sheet.

"Great," Natalia pouted. "This doesn't take us anywhere."

"It just might." Horatio Caine had materialized in the doorway. "What color was the hair?"

"Dark brown."

"Mhmmm." Horatio muttered, as if he had known all along. "I think," He looked up, "I know who this hair belongs to. Thank you, mam."

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The great Horatio Caine stood staring out the window of the interrogation room, letting the woman at the table get comfortable.

"Mrs. O'Mally." Horatio said.  
"What is it now, Lieutenant? You know I have things to do—I'm a busy woman. And I'm still filing a complaint against your department," She through in for added effect.

"You murdered Madison Beller." It was not a question in the least. It was a rock solid statement.

She looked incredulous. "I haven't murdered anyone. I don't even know the person you're talking about!" She angrily spouted.

"Well then, how about you tell me how your hair ended up at the place of Ms. Beller's murder? Or perhaps you just like washing your designer clothes at cheap hotel laundry matts?" He raised his eyebrows at her—daring her to do anything but confess.

She opened and shut her mouth a few times, unsure of how to continue. She finally took a deep breath and answered him. "All right, I was there. I heard her argue with my husband. I saw him hit her. She threatened to go to the police. I couldn't let that happen! Not only would we lose the business, but my husband would have to pay a load of legal fees. We would be ruined."

Horatio had not sympathy. "So you killed her?"

She paused a moment, debating her answer. "No. We just argued. I followed her to the hotel, and waited until she was in a spot alone—the laundry matt. I confronted her and told her that she couldn't print the piece. But she wouldn't budge. I realized that I wasn't going to win her over and I left. I never even touched her."

Horatio looked at her with unbelieving eyes. "The evidence remains, Mrs. O'Mally. You DNA was the only we found at the crime scene, and the body was found at your husband's coffee shop."

"I didn't kill her."

Horatio smiled to himself. "Do you own a boat, mam?"

She seemed completely taken aback by the random question. "My husband does. Why?"

The lieutenant just nodded. "I thought so. Officers, take her."

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As Horatio stepped out of the interrogation room, he saw Alexx coming to meet him. "Is that her?" Alexx asked. "The one that murdered that poor girl?"

Horatio looked at Charlene O'Mally who was now being led away down the hall by two officers. He then looked at the ground and frowned. "As far as we know, Alexx. But there's one more thing to clear up."

Alexx nodded and said nothing, realizing that her colleague did not want to talk about it. "Will they let Ryan out soon, then? The poor baby must be losing his mind in there."

"He's a strong kid, Alexx. He'll be okay."

She smiled. "I hope so. Let me know when this is all cleared up, okay?"

"Of course."

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Ryan twiddled his thumbs. It was an old habit that he had left behind in high school. His obsessive-compulsive had left him with some strange quirks, but luckily the disorder had grown quieter as he got older. But now, sitting in a lonely cell, his anxiety was back and he found himself tapping, fidgeting, and twiddling all over again.

Still sitting on the floor, he rested his head on his knees. He suddenly realized that all the while that he had been sitting there he had been recalling the days he and Madison had shared. He knew that the only way to accept her death was to finish off those last memories he had of her.

FLASHBACK

_Ryan could hear the band playing cheerfully outside. He thought of his parents who were sitting on the chairs of the school lawn, waiting for their son to take the stage and receive his scroll. He almost wanted to laugh. Thirteen years of gruesome work, spoiled friendships, and broken hearts and all he got was a rolled up sheet of paper and a clap on the back._

_He didn't mean it really. He had looked forward to graduation. But he wasn't going out there without the one person who had been by his side the whole time—Madison. _What use would it be?_ He thought._ There'sno way I would have made it this far without her._ Why go the final distance alone? But after searching nearly the entire campus, he realized that he would not go at all. The music had already started playing, and he could vaguely hear "Buscard, Walter" being called. Madison had already missed her call to honor._

_He walked down the hallway of his high school one last time, giving up. She wasn't here. Thirteen years—she had survived her father's abuse, and death, her mother's depression, her short spurt with alcohol, and had even managed to repair the friendship that their night together had broken—but she wasn't here._

_He was about to leave, when he heard it. Sobbing. It was coming from a nearby classroom, and Ryan both hoped and dreaded that it was her._

_He turned the corner and saw his closest friend, sitting on a desk, sobbing into her hands. He walked over slowly, not wanting to startle her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Maddy?"_

_She looked up and his heart broke to see her eyes puffy and her makeup ruined by tears. "Ryan." She said simply._

_All was silent for a moment. She made no attempt to wipe her face of tears. She finally broke the quiet. "You'll miss your name if you don't get back there."_

_He looked at her and in a rare act of affection, tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't care. I'll get my diploma later."_

_She shrugged. He sat on the desk across from her. He didn't say anything. He knew her too well. She would either tell him what was going on, or she wouldn't._

_Another silence followed. Ryan was patient. When she spoke, her words were clearer than before. "It shouldn't be like this."_

_"What shouldn't be like what?" Ryan asked._

_"This day—this life. It wasn't meant to be like this." He just let her talk._

_"I….I did something bad, Ryan." Ryan's heart immediately started beating hard. Madison never admitted to mistakes, not ever. She was too prideful to do so. Admitting she had done something wrong meant that she had __really__screwed up._

_"Well you can tell me," was all he said._

_She swallowed and tucked the rest of her hair behind her other ear. "I should have told you long ago. Before…but it's too late now." She paused and looked him straight in the eyes. "Ryan, promise me that even if we never speak again, you won't hate me. When two people share as much happiness together as we have, they should think of each other well in the end, don't you think? They should get through it all, right?"_

_Terror had now stricken his heart. Madison didn't like to be serious. She never talked like this. He didn't want hear another word, but he knew he couldn't live another day without knowing what could possibly make his friend say such things._

_"There is nothing on this earth that could make me hate you, Madison." _

_She believed him. "You remember that night? Last year?"_

_He blushed. They had never once spoken of that night. Not trusting his voice, he nodded. "I was embarrassed at first, Ryan. We'd known each other so long….I didn't know how to even look at you at school. But then, things changed fast. I felt….I felt different." She stopped. He looked at, somehow not making the connection. She continued, "I…I was late, Ryan."_

"_For what?" The moment the words came out of his mouth he realized the answer. His brain suddenly seemed to slow to the point where he could only process one sentence at a time. "You….were pregnant? With a child? With our child?" The words came out as a whisper. His mind tilted and he felt the urge to vomit. But coming to a realization, he snapped his eyes directly on her. "You're not pregnant now." It was such an obvious statement, but he didn't even realize what the words were there until they tumbled out of his mouth._

_She suddenly started talking and sobbing at top speed. "I was so scared, Ryan. My father was still alive then. What if he hurt me? Or the baby? Then I thought of running away but it seemed so impossible and what about you? I wanted to tell you—but you're such a good person, Ryan. You would do the right thing. I didn't want to lay that on you. What would your mother say? She's treated me like a daughter and she just adores you. She would be so disappointed. I couldn't do it….I just couldn't….." She broke down sobbing. She slid off the desk onto the floor, her emotions bordering hysterical._

_Ryan stood, and put his hands on his face. He walked a couple paces away from her. He couldn't even process the information. She was pregnant…..his child….dead…..she kil—_

_Ryan had to grab a desk to stop himself from fainting. This was way too much. He had dealt with a good many things in his life, but this was way beyond him. He sat down and stared at the floor. How do you even begin to respond to news like this? He wondered. He was so lost in thought he barely noticed that Madison had stood and was walking towards the door. At the last minute he jumped up and grabbed her arm._

"_Where are you going?!" He asked. His voice was just one of confusion._

"_Ryan…"_

"_No." He wouldn't let her leave._

"_I can't stay here, Ryan. I just….how could I stay here knowing what I've done?" She asked quietly. Her eyes were round as saucers, her mascara running down her cheeks._

"_But what about me? What about us?" He asked._

_She looked at him as if he was ripping her heart right out of her chest. Her words were slow. "We can't…" She paused and swallowed. "We've come so far together, but life parts here. Ryan, I love you. You know that. But every time I look at you…." She couldn't say another word. She didn't need to. He let go of her arm, and she walked away. She didn't look back._

_Ryan let his arm drop to his side. He had no idea where life was going to take him—but in his heart of hearts he knew it would never lead him back to her._

FLASHFORWARD

Horatio was once again back in the interrogation room. He had to admit he had not expected this little twist in the plot. He opened the folder he was holding and pulled out a sheet, which he laid on the table in front of his suspect.

"Do you know what that is?" Horatio asked.

Shawn Belby leaned his greasy head over the sheet, and then leaned back. "Rope." He said shrugging.

"That's right." Horatio said. "Not just any rope, either. This particular rope was missing from the janitor's closet of the MarbleGate Hotel. The janitor's closet just happens to be in the room where Madison was murdered."

Shawn's knee instantly started bouncing out of nervousness. "So what?"

"So, my friend," Horatio answered, "You are very, very, guilty." Shawn opened his mouth for a moment, but then closed it without saying anything. Horatio continued. "You murdered Madison Beller."

"No…no I didn't."

"This would be a good time for the truth, Shawn."

"I only….I only touched her."

"No. You strangled her. The evidence does not lie." He placed a second sheet in front of Shawn. It was a DNA analysis sheet. The name Shawn Belby flashed up at the guilty boy's face. Horatio let it sink in a moment before explaining. "We found your DNA on both ends of the rope." He said, nodding at the evidence picture. "And we found Ms. Beller's blood in the middle. So. You killed her."

It was with these words that Shawn Belby realized he could not defend himself any longer. After pausing a moment he spoke in a low slow voice. "I thought she had come to Miami to see me. I had called her and asked her to come and see me. I told her I was working at Crosby's. She said she wouldn't. But then, there she was. After all these years—she finally realized that I was the right man for her. I watched her at the hotel. I could hear her talking to people sometimes. I heard the word "Crosby's." I thought…..I thought she was talking about me."

Horatio just looked down at him. There was a trace of pity there. The man in front of him was clearly ill. But it did not justify what he had done.

Shawn continued. "Then that night, I was going to make my move. I saw her gathering her clothes and I knew she was headed for the laundry matt. I went ahead so she would meet me there. But then I heard her talking to someone as she came in. I hid in the closet. I couldn't see—but I could hear. I recognized Charlene's voice. They were talking about Crosby's and how Madison had come to Miami to write the piece about it. I was….angry. She hadn't come for me after all. I just got so upset. I had waited so long for her, and then my dreams were shattered. When the woman left, I grabbed the rope…and…" He looked up at Horatio.

"So then you brought her to the coffee shop." Horatio nudged.

"She had been fighting with Charlene, so I figured if I left her at the coffee shop it would look like she had done it." His ugly eyes began to fill with water. "I didn't….didn't…..mean…It just happened!"

"Wrong is wrong, Mr. Belby. There are no reasons to justify it." Shawn hung his head in defeat. "Guards, take him." Two officers came and escorted him away. Horatio watched them until they were out of sight. Even though he put bad guys away, the injustice of someone losing their life in such a violent way never lessened any. It was one more burden added to Horatio Caine's already bleeding heart.

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Ryan wasn't expecting it when the patrol officer came and unlocked the door to his cell. "You're free to go." The office said.

Ryan nodded his thanks and left the solitary prison. Tripp was waiting for him down the hall. "Hey there, soldier." Tripp greeted.

"Hi, Frank. Thanks for letting me out."

"Don't thank me," Frank drawled. "Thank that team of yours for finding the right culprit." Ryan nodded and turned to go.

"Hey," Frank called. "If you don't mind me asking, what were those other obligations you had, that you couldn't meet your friend?"

Ryan smiled sadly. "Truthfully, there were none. I just…didn't want to see her." Frank looked taken back by the words, but did not ask for elaboration.

"Well then I'll see you around, Wolfe."

"Of course."

Ryan walked on and was nearly to the door when he saw Alexx. She smiled that knowing smile of hers and put her hand on his shoulder as he approached. "You okay, baby?"

"Ya, I'm fine. I just need to go home and relax."

"You do that," She said caringly. "Take care of yourself, Ryan."

Ryan once again walked on, now dying just to curl up in his bed at home. But there was one more visitor. Outside the police station, Lieutenant Caine stood waiting, his hands on his hips. "Mr. Wolfe."

Ryan walked up to him slowly. "H."

"Are you okay?" Horatio asked.

There was silence a moment. "It's not that I don't miss her, Horatio. But things with her—it's like reading through a long book. You don't want it to end, but you're really glad to get to that final chapter and shut the book. You know?"

Horatio looked down through dark glasses at the young CSI. "But we always keep that book on our shelves, right Mr. Wolfe?"

Ryan didn't need to say anymore. Knowing that just one person understood was enough. "Bright and early, 'H'?"

"Bright and early, Mr. Wolfe."

**Fin.**

A/N: So it's been a long journey, but like Ryan's book, it must come to an end. Thanks to those who chose to read my story! I really appreciate it.


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